Netanyahu asks Kerry to lift FAA travel ban

[Halliburton]

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28427236

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered three US carriers that fly to Israel - Delta, United and US Airways - to halt flights for 24 hours.

Europe's aviation regulator is also urging airlines not to fly to Tel Aviv.

The suspension prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask the US to renew flights to Israel.

Mr Netanyahu asked US Secretary of State John Kerry for help lifting the FAA ban, which comes amidst heightened scrutiny over flights near conflict zones.

Earlier in the day, Israel's transportation ministry said: "Ben Gurion Airport is safe and completely guarded and there is no reason whatsoever that American companies would stop their flights and hand terror a prize."

[bravenak]

1. Nooooo!!

Do not lift the travel ban until it is safe! It's a warzone!! Seven hells! Do not fly into a war zone! We do not want an accident. Look at the last plane that got shot down. It could happen again.

[MH1]

21. Imagine if Kerry says, "Okay" and the ban is lifted ... then something terrible happens

that causes a planeload of civilian casualties.

Yeah right. I'll be shocked if Kerry would agree to that.

Hey Netanyahoo, how bout you try pursuing policies that reduce the violence?

[bravenak]

22. That would be a disaster of epic proportions.

The right wing would eat it up.

[JI7]

2. it's only 24 hours

[Still Sensible]

3. There is nothing to be gained by

lifting that halt. In fact, there is considerable risk if it only goes 24 hours. I think the 24 hour ban was basically a shot across Bibi's bow to get him to call off the dogs.

[HooptieWagon]

4. Kerry should do no such thing.

If Hamas rockets are such a great danger to Israel, then they pose a great risk to tourists and aircraft.

If the rockets pose no risk to tourists and aircraft, then they posed no risk to Israel, and the Gaza bombing and shelling is a huge over-reaction.

Can't have it both ways.

[malaise]

16. Precisely

Fugg Bibi

[brer cat]

18. +1 nt

[laundry_queen]

23. Bingo. nt

[Uncle Joe]

27. I agree, HooptieWagon.

[Takket]

5. Israel's comments are quite inappropriate

Given what happened in Ukraine less than a week ago.

[BootinUp]

6. inappropriate is Netanyahu's style. nt

[Caretha]

7. Cancelling flights

to one destination is fairly easy. Re-instating flights, not so much. 24 hours will be needed just to work out logistics of re-instating flights.

Airlines are going to take a whole different view of flying over war zones than the government. They have a lot more to loose in this equation and have a very visible recent example of what happens if and when.

American flights aren't the only ones being cancelled. I bet almost every airline from every region has halted air travel for now to Israel.

Netanyahu can ask the state department all day long from each country - that won't do the trick. Airlines are only in business to make money and all decisions when to begin flying into Ben Gurion Airport again will be decided at the corporate level.

Suck on that Netanyahu

[Aerows]

8. "Hi, you are flying into a warzone."

"Would you like smoking or bombing? We're all out of non-smoking seats."

[bigwillq]

9. You're the captain, Kerry. Don't give in (nt)

[Coventina]

10. What is Bibi smoking?

Must be pretty good stuff!

[renegade000]

11. The Hamas rockets probably pose a minimal risk for flights

I mean they aren't guided or anything, so a plane would have to be pretty unlucky to be hit by one.

I wonder if this is basically a passive aggressive way to apply pressure on Israel to work toward peace. If so, it is rather clever.

[trof]

17. Yeah, unless one rocket happens to hit the Ben Gurion runways.

Imagine being on final approach and learning the runway you were going to land on has been rendered 'inoperative' due to rocket attack.

What's your alternate airport?
It sure ain't any middle eastern airport that would take you outside of Israel.
How much fuel you got left?
Can you make it to Larnaca, Cyprus?

[renegade000]

20. point taken

But certainly there are alternate airports available, you'd never fly without taking on enough fuel to make it to one.

And given the size of the rockets, at worst they would just leave shrapnel on the runways that could puncture tires. Quite dangerous (moreso for takeoff than landing), but something that could be cleared relatively quickly.

Definitely better safe than sorry, but it is a bit curious that the Israeli government is complaining about it. Wouldn't they want to use the ban to promote the image of Israel as the victim, being "under siege" and in serious danger? It seems that they are more concerned about unnecessary inconvenience.

[geek tragedy]

12. well, which is it? Is Israel under constant terror from a barrage

of rockets not unlike the V-1 and V-2 attacks on London, or is it really no big deal, we got this?

[Caretha]

13. Good point

[Mosby]

15. think it through a little further

If these rockets shut down ben gurion airport for more than a day or two will it make gazans more or less safe?

With the entire Israeli economy at stake, what do you think bibi will do?

The good news is that even bibi does not want to go there, hence the request to lift the ban.

[4now]

14. We shouldn't risk anymore civilian airliners being shot down.

No flights should land their until the fighting stops and a ceasefire is agreed to.

[al_liberal]

19. The entire world has gone off the deep end.

I can't even begin to try to understand it all anymore. After 9/11 we cancelled every flight within and coming into the US, created the massive but useless DHS to provide us with the even more useless TSA. Our new keepers told us that taking a nail clipper, a bottle of water, or a tube of toothpaste were all grave security concerns. That we could no longer be allowed to expect to take anything though the "security" checkpoint in our airports unless they deemed it safe. Many of these same airports have, since 9/11, been dictated, by state laws, to allow any and all personally carried firearms anywhere on their premises up until those checkpoints.

Any and all of the DHS and TSA safety measures, in my opinion, have been nothing but one gigantic payday for MIC firms since the inception of the DHS.

But we're supposed to disregard the FAA banning flights from entering a war zone? The FAA had banned all American carriers from the Ukraine airspace prior to the MH-17 incident. Were they wrong? What's wrong with the FAA banning all flights anywhere near another war zone in the vicinity of Israel/Gaza?

[Texasgal]

24. NO! Just HELL no.

UGH!

[JI7]

25. Michael Bloomberg is going to Fly to Israel to protest the ban

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/22/michael-bloomberg-flying-to-israel-to-protest-faa-ban/

[RobertEarl]

26. I hate discussing war tactics, but

Seems Hamas is dumb? It is now very obvious that the airport is the best place to hit. Until now the US was like, oh, ok. Now it's, don't fly there.

[nilesobek]

28. The ban is a prestige body blow to Netanyahu.

I liken it to Americans hitchhiking on Russian rockets to the space station.

Its also a psychological blow in that its an acknowledgement by the Americans that Hamas rockets have not been silenced despite the constant use of the word "iron," in some phrase or other.

[MineralMan]

29. I don't think Kerry can do that in any case.

He's not in charge of the FAA, as far as I know, which put the ban in place to prevent a disastrous event happening to a US plane. Last I heard, the Secretary of State doesn't have anything to do with the FAA.